Laundry machine



Patented Mar. 6, 1928.

UNITED STATES FRED CARL WILHELM, F MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

LAUNDRY MACHINE.

Application filed m 14, 1927. Serial No. 205,742.

This invention relates to improvements in laundry machines and is particularly directed to means for creating a draft in the cylinder, which is padded exteriorly, as is usual in ironing machines of a certain type.

A general object of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive means for producing a. draft or suction within the cylinder. Another object is to provide a fan rotatable upon a shaft which rotates the drum, and adapted to be power driven as the result of drum rotation. Features include the use of a perforated drum; the use of a fan within the drum; the arrangement whereby the fan and operating gearing can 'be simply slid into operative position; the

supporting of the fan mechanism, upon the drum shaft; the rotation of the fan by the shaft upon which it is mounted; the broad idea of locating the fan in the manner set forth; and all details of construction for mounting and operating the fan.

Objects, features and advantages will be set forth in the description of the drawings forming a part of this application, and in said drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of the roll of an ironer showing my device applied thereto;

Figure 2 is a transverse section on line 2-2 of Figure 1, further illustrating my attachment; and

Figure 3 is a side view partly in section showing a modified form of gearing.

Numeral 1 designates a cylinder or roll having perforations 2. A pad (not shown) surrounds the cylinder. 3 indicates the steam chest, 4 the feeder roll, 5 the wet box, 6 the ironer roll and 7 the polishing roll. Some of the foregoing elements are common to this form of ironer, as is also the shaft 10 which traverses the cylinder or roll and is keyed thereto. 12 indicates frames having bearings supporting the shaft 10. 1314 indicate the one means for driving the shaft 10 and roll 1.

In this instance the drumor cylinder includes spiders 15 traversed by the shaft and keyed thereto in any suitable manner. The device is located within the roll at one end thereof. The fan includes a hub 21 having a gear 22. This hub is loose upon the shaft. The fan is arranged adjacent one of the open ends of the cylinder, to blow outwardly and create a suction in that part of the cylinder lying inwardly from the fan.

Mounted upon and loosely traversed by the shaft, is a frame 30, having its lower portion weighted as at 31, to prevent rotation. Attached to the shaft or to one of the spiders 15, is an internal gear 35, this gear being thus fixed to rotate with the shaft and drum. The frame 30 supports suitable transmission gearing which connects the hub for rotation by the drum or shaft through the medium, 1n this instance, of the gear 35, which may.

be .secured to the shaft. Whatever the arrangement, the gearing is arranged so that the fan is rotated as a result of shaft rotation. To illustrate one form of gearing for obtaining the above result, a gear 36 meshes with the gear 35, the gear 36 being supported on the shaft 37 carried by the frame 30. At the opposite side of the frame and keyed to the shaft 37 is a gear 38 which, in turn, meshes with the gear 22 of the hub 21. In this instance, the spiders 15 secure the frame 30, and fan hub against translative motion upon the shaft, these elements being abuttingly engaged as shown.

When the shaft is turned or when the drum rotates powerwill be transmitted from the gear 35 through gear 36, gear 38 to gear 22 of the fan hub as a result'of which the fan will be rotated. The weighted end 31 of the frame will prevent rotation of the frame 30. The device can be quickly assembled or disassembled by translating the frame and fan along the shaft. To do this all that is necessary is to remove the endmost spider, which is secured by a cross pin as shown, and is detachably connected by its periphery in any preferred manner not shown.

The gear ratios may be changed to suit conditions which require greater or less fan velocity. In the present instance, the .roll turns very slowly. The gear 35 has one hundred and twenty teeth, the gear 36 sixteen teeth, the spur gear 38 one hundred teeth, andthe fan hub thirty teeth. The fan velocity in this instance is approximately 150 R. P. M., from a driven shaft which revolves at 6 R. P. M.

In Figure 3, a modification has been shown in which a substitute frame 30 having intermediate gearing, is employed. In this instance, an extra shaft 40 is provided upon I be employed, each having a different arrangement of gears, and these frames can be substituted, to obtain varying fan speeds, or change in direction of rotation.

Heretofore very complicated mechanisms have been devised for creating the proper draft or suction within the cylinder. Some of these devices have included a suction line leading from the end of the cylinder, and a suction system located at a point remote from the cylinder or ironer. In this case, a coupling permitting movement of the drum relative to a stationary suction pipe was necessary, an expensive construction. The present invention is very simple and inexpensive, and can be uickly assembled and dis-assembled and di erent speed ratios can be quickly obtained by removing the fan hub and gear supporting frame and substituting another frame having other sets of gears, such as shown in Figure 3. It will be seen that the elements may be quickly removed by sliding lengthwise of the shaft. It will be understood that, as shown in the drawings, the endmost spider will have to be moved before applicants invention can be applied. However, there is no intention to limit the invention to this feature. Various arrangements within the cylinder may be made and a plurality of fans may be used within a single cylinder.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination with a laundry machine including a cylinder and shaft for rotating the cylinder, a fan rotatable upon the shaft, a frame supported upon the shaft and weighted to prevent rotation with the shaft, transmission gearing carried by the frame, and connected for rotating the fan, and means for driving the transmission gearing as the result of rotation of the cylinder.

2. In combination with a laundry machine including a cylinder having a shaft. a fan mounted for rotation within and independently of the cylinder, a support mounted upon but non-rotatable with the shaft, means carried by the support for driving the fan, and means for operating the driving means as the result of drum rotation.

3. In combination with a laundry machine including a cylinder and a shaft for rotating the cylinder, :1 draft apparatus arranged within the cylinder completely supported by but not rotatable with the shaft, and gearing for causing fan rotation as the result of cylinder rotation, a portion of the gearing being supported upon but being non-rotatable with the shaft.

4. In combination with a laundry machine including a perforated cylinder aml a shaft for rotating the cylinder, and a fan mechanism mounted upon the shaft within the cylinder, means for rotating the fan as the result of rotative motion of the cylinder, a portion of said rotating means being supported upon but being non-rotatable with the shaft.

5. In combination with a laundry machine including a cylinder and a shaft for rotating the cylinder, a draft apparatus including a fan arranged within the cylinder adjacent one end and entirely supported by but not rotatable with the shaft, gearing for causing the fan to be rotated when the cylinder shaft is rotated, a portion of the gearing being hung upon but being non-rotatable with the shaft, and the terminal members of the gearing being meshed respectively with a portion of the draft apparatus and with an element which is rotated when the cylinder is rotated.

6. In combination with a laundry machine including a shaft having spiders, a cylinder supported upon the spiders, a fan having a hub rotatable upon the shaft, said hub having a gear, a frame supported by but not rotatable with the shaft, a gear secured to one of the spiders, and gearing mounted upon the frame and including terminal gears meshing respectively with the spider and hub gears.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 20th day of June, 1927.

FRED CARL WILHELM. 

